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Dhubri district
Dhubri District (Assamese: ধুবুৰী) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dhubri town which is situated at ~290 km from Guwahati, the state capital. This was also the headquarters of erstwhile Goalpara district which was created in 1876 by the British government. In 1983, Goalpara district was divided into four districts and Dhubri is one among those. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Assam (out of 27), after Nagaon. Etymology The name Dhubri comes from the tale of Chand Sadagar, where the main character of the story Netai Dhubuni used to wash her clothes on the surface of a big stone at bank of the river Brahmaputra . This particular place had a name called "Netai Dhubunir Ghat". History In the past, the gateway of western Assam was a meeting place of different racial groups which mingled together and formed a unique cultural heritage and historical background. The growth of blended culture in this region, particularly in the areas of language, art and religion is due to the continuous process of assimilation of various races, castes, and creeds of local people, invaders, and migrated people. In 1669 AD Raja Ram Singh, Mughal general of Amber was deputed by Aurangzeb of Delhi to crash a rebellion by the Ahom king Chakradhwaj Singha. But Assam was a difficult country for such an operation and Raja Ram Singh requested Guru Teg Bahadur (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦੁਰ, Hindi: गुरू तेग़ बहादुर) to accompany him. Guru Teg Bahadur accepted the request and his presence was initially thought to be a moral booster to both Ram Singh and his troops. However, later Guru's role was proved to be much more crucial than his mere presence. This operation was actually a punishment for Ram Singh because it was from his custody that Shivaji and his son had escaped, from Aurangzeb's likely execution, a few years earlier. On arrival to Kamrup early in February 1669 AD, Guru Teg Bahadur camped at Dhubri while Raja Ram Singh with his army camped at Rangamati Fort. Though the Imperial Army was confident but still not sure whether the holy man with them would be able to destroy the evil effects of magic and witchcraft of the Assamese. Just across the river the Assamese were unnerved by the superior numbers of the Imperial Army but they were confident that the supernatural powers of their magicians would keep the attackers at bay. The Assamese women magicians with their tantric paraphernalia began reciting mantras of destruction in their encampment directly across the river of the camp of Guru Teg Bahadur. But all their magical effects failed to harm the Guru. The magicians were over confident about their ability to destroy any human being. From across the river they hurled a 26 feet long stone, which came arcing across the sky like a missile and struck the ground, near Guru's camp, so hard that nearly half of its length was embedded in the ground. It can still be seen in the same position. A historical brass tablet was placed by the British when they tried to dismantle the tilted stone in the heart of the city. When their missile of stone failed to harm the Guru, the magician next flung a tree, which fell very close to the Guru's camp without causing injury to any one. Then, as Guru Teg Bahadur took his bow and aimed an arrow at the altar of magic, all of their magic and sorcery came to a sudden end. The magicians realized that superior powers had completely deprived them of their magical strengths and blocked their will power. Then they crossed the river to the Guru's camp and begged forgiveness for having offended him. They told him that they were fighting only to repel the foreigners who had come to enslave them. They told him that they were fighting only to repel the foreigners who had come to enslave them. Guru Teg Bahadur assured the magicians that he would work to bring peace between Raja Ram Singh and the Ahom King, for which, a change of heart was necessary on both sides. Consequently, he advised Raja Ram Singh to achieve his rulers objectives through peaceful negotiations and not to fight unless he was attacked. The rest of the story is a part of the history as to how he succeeded in patching up the differences between the Imperial Commander Raja Ram Singh and the Ahom King of Assam Chakradhwaj Singha. The grateful Ahom King invited Guruji to the Kamakhya shrine, where he was honoured with great respect. The Peace Mound of Dhubri The tree under which Guru Teg Bahadur rested when he arrived in Dhubri. The happy occasion of the peace settlement brought about by the efforts of Guru Teg Bahadur was celebrated by a joint homage to the shrine of Guru Nanak by both the Mughal and the Ahom armies. The mound of peace of Dhubri was erected with the red earth carried by the soldiers of both the armies on their shields. This permanent monument to Guru Tegh Bahadur's a successful peace efforts stands at Dhubri to this day. Pilgrims from all over India visit Dhubri to pay homage at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib. They also visit the mound of peace constructed by Hindus an& Muslims soldiers of the two armies. The famous folk artist Pratima Barua Pandey also sang about the glory of Dhubri in the field of Arts and Literature. Modern-day Dhubri district was created on 1 July 1983 when it was split from Goalpara district. Visit by historical personalities Dhubri District also withnessed the historical visit of many of the eminent personalities like Guru Nanak Dev, Srimanta Sankardeva, Guru Teg Bahadur, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Gopinath Bordoloi and Rajiv Gandhi. Geography Dhubri district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to Russia's Zemlya Georga. Dhubri District is bounded both by interstate and international borders: West Bengal and Bangladesh in the west; Goalpara and Bogaigoan district of Assam and Garo Hills district of Meghalaya in the east; Kokrajhar district in the north; and Bangladesh and state of Meghalaya in the south. Economy Dhubri District is primarily dependent on agricultural and forest products. The main source of income is paddy (both winter and autumn) with surplus production. Jute and mustard seed occupy the major share of cash crops. Wheat, maize, pulses and sugar cane are also grown moderately. From forest, mainly timber and bamboo add to the income, though boulders and sand are also available. Fish, milk, meat, and eggs have small contribution to the economy. Currently three tea gardens, whose contribution to the district economy is almost negligible, cover an area of 1362.33 hectres. Land revenue collection is minimal, whereas tax from check gates and excise duty occupy much of the government exchequer. Devoid of major industrial production, the district uses more funds for administration, development, and welfare works than it provides. Its rich natural wealth is yet to be explored and some believe that proper utilization of natural resources could provide a boost for the struggling economy. Some important production and earnings are given below: *Rice Production: 15,000 Tones (Approx) *Forest Revenue: Rs. 40,00000.00 (Approx) *Excise Revenue: Rs. 1,70,80,742.00 (2000–2001) *Sales Tax Revenue: Rs. 10,13,36,902.00 (2000–2001) Note: The tax department is believed by many to be corrupt, so numbers such as these are viewed with suspicion. Divisions At present there are three sub-divisions: 1. Dhubri (Sadar) 2. Bilasipara and 3. South Salmara-Hatsingimari, Mankachar. The district has 8 revenue circles and 7 tahsils. It has 8 police stations and 4 basic towns. There are seven Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Mankachar, Salmara South, Dhubri, Gauripur, Golakganj, Bilasipara West, and Bilasipara East. All seven are in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency. Transport Dhubri has an airport at Rupshi which is about 23 km away from the town. It was constructed during World War II by the British Govt. mainly for military purpose. Till 1983, the Indian Airlines and some private commercial flights operated regularly between Calcutta, Guwahati and Dhubri. Now it is totally closed. However, recently the ministry of DONER, GOI, has taken some initiative to renovate and functionalise the airport. The town had a very busy river port on the bank of the Brahmaputra which was used as an international trade centre with the neighbouring countries, specially in British era. At present, this port is lying idle. The importance of the Railway station and the MG line was also decreased since 1947, when the direct line to Calcutta was snapped as it ran through erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). However the train facilities are running from Dhubri taking a new root from Dhubri to Guwahati Kamakhya station. The train has newly started on 2010 again, and it is functioning smoothly. the Government Boys Higher secondary School and GOVT Girls Higher secondary school are the two important schools of Dhubri town and the oldest too. Demographics According to the 2011 census Dhubri district has a population of 1,948,632, roughly equal to the nation of Lesotho or the US state of West Virginia. This gives it a ranking of 240th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 24.4 %. Dhubri has a sex ratio of 952 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 59.36 %. The largest religious group in the district are the Muslims, with 1,216,455 (74.29%)followers, while Hindus and Christians constitute 405,065 and 12,477 inhabitants respectively.Indian Census The district has become one of the most densely populated district in India with a density of 584 persons per km2.(As per 2001 census report) which is second highest in Assam after Nagaon district. The literacy rate is 48.21% of which male 55.91% and female 40.04%. Bengali is the most widely spoken language, although Assamese is the official language. The district is located on the globe between 89.42 to 90.12 degree east longitude and 26.22 to 25.28 degree north latitude and situated at 30 meters above the sea level on an average. General topography of Dhubri district is plain with patches of small hillocks like Tokorabandha, Dudhnath, Chandardinga, Boukuamari, Boropahar, Chakrasila, etc. All these are situated in the north eastern part of the district. Mighty river Brahmaputra is flowing through this district from east to west with its tributaries like Champabati, Gourang, Gadadhar, Gangadhar, Tipkai, Sankosh, Silai, Jinjiram, etc. The average annual rainfall of the district is 2,916 mm. Culture Terracotta and pottery craft Dhubri district of Assam have occupied a pivotal position in terracotta market of the world. The Assamese terracotta art and culture took its birth at Asharikandi, a small village near Gauripur town in Dhubri district. More than 80% families of this craft village are engaged in this ethnic based art (handicraft) and pass their life after selling these terracotta products in the national and international markets.Asharikandi: Famous for Terracota Places of interest The main places of interest in Dhubri district include Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, Mahamaya Dham, Rangamati or Panbari Mosque, the oldest mosque in entire northeast region of India,http://www.indiainfoweb.com/assam/panbari/ Panbari Mosque at DhubriChakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, Florican Garden and Panchpeer Dargah. This place is famous for the Sikh Gurdwara namely Gurdwara Damdama Sahib or Thara Sahib which was constructed in memory of visit of First Sikh Guru Nanak Dev (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ, Hindi: गुरु नानक, Urdu: گرونانک Guru Nānak) and later it was followed by visit of Ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦੁਰ, Hindi: गुरू तेग़ बहादुर) and the Gurdwara is named as Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. Hence, it has great importance for Sikh community. Flora and fauna In 1994 Dhubri district became home to the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of . Education At present the district houses 15 colleges for higher education. B. N. College, Dhubri (estd. 1946) at Dhubri is one of the oldest and famous institutes in Assam. One Industrial Training Institute and some 30 number of private run computer institutes are there. More than hundred high and higher secondary schools are also imparting education to the people of the district. References External links * Dhubri district official website Category:Districts of Assam Category:Dhubri district Category:Minority Concentrated Districts in India